Independent Hero

Anna Karina

Anna Karina will come to Lisbon next May for a retrospective co-organized by Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema and IndieLisboa, which gives her one of the Independent Heroes spotlights of the 2019 edition. Special attention will be given to her filmography in the context of the French Nouvelle Vague and beyond that. The retrospective will take place entirely at Cinemateca between May 2nd and 11th, with the presence of the actress, who will be introducing some of her films and will be available for a special meeting with the public.

Born in Copenhagen in 1940, Hanna Karin Barke Bayer, arrived in Paris at the age of 17, where she started going by Anna Karina, thanks to Coco Chanel. One of the most iconic actresses of contemporary cinema in the French 60s, she worked with Jean-Luc Godard in a series of important films of that decade, in which she became his work and life companion. Anna Karina is one of the great stars of European cinema, having also developed her own directing, writing and singing career.

Cinemateca and IndieLisboa conceived an ambitious retrospective that aims to show the varied intensity of her work: the totality of her films with Godard, her films with Valerio Zurlini, Jacques Rivette, Luchino Visconti, George Cukor, Volker Schlöndorff, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and, among the rarest titles, the first feature film she wrote, performed and starred in 1973 (Vivre ensemble) and a film which also never premiered in Portugal, Anna, by Pierre Koralnik, with music and songs by Serge Gainsbourg. As part of the festival’s “Director’s Cut” section, in yet another facet of the collaboration between Cinemateca and IndieLisboa, the recent documentary by Dennis Berry in which Anna Karina comments her long career (Anna Karina souviens-toi, 2017) will be screened at the festival.

Make the most of this incredible retrospective by getting a festival accreditation. It is worth noting that you can already ask for one, special prices for students and professionals being available until the 31st of March. Check this pageto know how to get yours.

Brazil in a Trance

In the aftermath of the Brazilian carnival, Mangueira’s victory with its depiction of Marielle and the #goldenshowerbolsonaro, the whole country of Brazil trembles between opposing tectonic forces: it is time for us to give a little help by shedding a light on the darkness of opportunism. All cinema is political, take a look at the programming of this Independent Hero of IndieLisboa 2019, the beloved films coming straight from Brazil.

Twenty-five years ago, Brazilian cinema was being retaken. 1994 marked the return to national production, after the period of interregnum in which Collor de Mello had dissipated all the support and incentives to cinematographic creation. In 2019, the country and its cinema are living turbulent times, an issue which we decided not to ignore.

After Brazilian films garnered IndieLisboa’s main awards in 2018, it is time to celebrate creativity and to support a community who is experiencing a particularly auspicious period. In this program, we will show very recent and never before premiered films in Portugal, mirroring a daring and politically awakened production. We will (also) be the voice and a place for cinema and will actively contribute to its continuity.

A love letter from IndieLisboa to Brazil’s year in film, this program reflects the proximity between the festival and a fearless and original type of cinema that has been on IndieLisboa’s radar since its first edition. It is time to pay homage to this long relationship, in a period when the world asks us to pay attention and to do our part.

Aside the feature films, another set of recent short films will be screened, which we’ll unveil soon. The full program will also have echoes of Brazilian cinema in the International Competition, National Competition, Silvestre and Mouth of Madness sections. Find out more about those on April 2nd. Guests of the program will be in Lisbon for a conversation about the present and future of Brazilian cinema.